Dan Ravenhill the hero as Offaly edge Dublin in Allianz HL Division 1B

Having emerged from Division 1B ties against Carlow, Laois and Antrim with five points from a possible six, we wondered if improving Offaly could handle a step up in quality.

With that in mind, and the fact that the winner of this game would be top of the table, there was an argument that this was the most intriguing hurling game of the weekend.

It turned out to be a cracker and the answer to the question about Offaly's ability to step up another level? A resounding yes as they didn't just push Dublin hard but secured a landmark win over the hosts and strong favourites.

Dan Ravenhill's monster point from a free deep in his own half, seven minutes into stoppage time, dramatically secured their third win from four outings.

Trailing for most of the game, and still four behind with just 10 minutes of normal time remaining, the underdogs produced a thrilling finale to win it.

They were given a helping hand admittedly by the 65th minute exit of Dublin midfielder Conor Burke for a straight red card offence.

But Johnny Kelly's men still had to muster up a terrific comeback and they outscored Dublin by 0-11 to 1-03 from the 60th minute onwards.

Free-taker Brian Duignan finished with 13 points, getting better as the game wore on.

Oisin Kelly was excellent for Offaly too and weighed in with five points from play over the duration, including two in the second-half as they turned the screw.

But Ravenhill's score in the 77th minute was the gamebreaker as Dublin, punished for an apparent thrown pass, were heavily punished. The distance was against Ravenhill but the Durrow man held his nerve and split the posts from all of 90 metres out to seal a famous win.

Dublin are easing their All-Ireland winning Na Fianna club players back to activity and